Sandbook Net - PenPals and Swappers Site - the official blog about the art of penpalling, swapping and snail mail correspondence. Learn more about us and our birthday twins, traveling notebook, penpal of the month, penpal interviews and penpal magazine projects.

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Thursday, July 28, 2011

It's very difficult for kids to find penpals. That is why SandbookNet started the Kids' Zone pages in our penpal magazine. We are going to publish ads that are made on behalf of the kids from their parents or close relatives. Please note, that Sandbook Net prefers communicating with parents to ensure that someone screens the incoming mail for the kids as we all know that there are always "spam" mail that reaches us.

To publish an ad in this section, please send us an email at raiasandbook(at)gmail.com with a Subject: Kids' Zone or penpals for kids. Thank you!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Hello there! How are you doing? Tell us more about yourself, your hobbies, personal life, interests.

Hi! I hope everyone is doing splendid! I certainly know I am. My name is Alyssa, I'm 19, and I hail from New York, USA. Not New York City, mind you, though someday I'd simply love to live there. I am a college junior studying Television and Film Arts. I plan at some point on getting a dual degree in Interior Design as I finish up my film studies. Someday I would like to be somebody's personal fashion consultant or personal shopper. I am a crafter of jewelry and journals and I have my own Etsy shop called Jar of Dreams, for each little thing I create is like a dream coming from the jar that is my imagination. I am a creator of films and videos. I prefer to shoot 16mm and I have my own Bolex, but due to the expenses required to shoot in film, I only use it for experimental movies. I have a YouTube channel but my blog is where I post everything I've worked on, including some things others have posted on their channels. As a blogger, I also include fashion, crafting, cooking, shopping, organizational, and self-improvement tips and advice. I am the youngest of two kids. My older brother is a chef and cooking is something my entire family enjoys, myself included. Sushi is my favorite food! I love eel and squid more than a normal person should. I also love to write. Short stories, novels, poems, letters, scripts... I am working on my second novel at the moment. I tend to write in the supernatural or urban fantasy genre, though the novel I am working on now is regular fantasy. I have completed a feature-length script and after some tweaking I will send it out to contests. My secret confession is this: I am a HUGE geek. I play video games, board games, card games, role-playing games, and I collect Pokemon cards. Now all I need is a Magic: The Gathering deck.

If you have to describe yourself in only 5 words what would they be?
Random. Quirky. Independent. Imaginative. Sarcastic.

Tell us something about your town, city or country.

My city is where the Erie Canal neared completion. We also have this huge art festival called the Allentown Art Festival which is held annually in the heart of the city's art district. It's an incredible event. Vendors sell their jewelry and paintings and sculptures and soooo much more for an entire weekend. There's also Thursday at the Square, which is a live music event every Thursday of the summer where different bands come to play the whole night.

How did you start penpalling? When was that? And why did you decide to start Penpalling?
I spent a month in Ithaca, New York as a part of the New York State Summer School for the Arts film program during the summer between my junior and senior years of high school, I believe in 2008. I wanted to receive letters from my friends and family to keep me close to them since we weren't supposed to use our phones during classes and lectures which ran most of the day and night. So I gave my address to my friends and family and wrote letters back to them, and that got me thinking. What if I could write letters to strangers who were similar to my friends? What if I found people who had interesting stories to tell who would want to know about my life in exchange for sharing their unique experiences? I made friends at the program and we lived from all parts of the state, so we exchanged addresses and numbers and began writing letters. I guess ultimately I decided to seriously start a search for new pen pals during the start of my senior year in high school. I realized I wanted to see what other people were like in other parts of the country and, in some cases, other parts of the world. I wanted to hear these people talk about their daily lives, their interests and opinions, and see their creativity come out to play.

What do you like / dislike about Penpalling/correspondence?
I like creating or buying stationery to write my letters on. It's so much fun to design something myself or discover new ways to write letters to my friends. I also like waiting. I know that sounds weird, but I love to wait for a letter to arrive. There's something magical about it, like developing film. You have to wait for it to finish developing and even then, you still don't know what's going to show up in the frames. That's how I view letter exchanges. As for what I dislike about the art, I'd have to say when you get a pen pal who doesn't seem to put in as much effort as you do. For example, when you find someone who writes less than a page for each letter, responding with one sentence answers or less. It becomes obvious they are only collecting pen pals and that bothers me.

How do your friends react when they discover you are into Penpalling? Are they also into it or they give you the “strange” faces?
My friends don't care much for penpalling. My parents, luckily, let me exchange letters without much concern, but my friends are always on my case about how expensive it is and they always ask me, "How is it you have a stronger bond with someone you've never met than with me?" I have a friend or two who find it interesting, and that's all I ask for. Not someone to smash the dying art of penpalling, but to embrace it and consider the possibilities.

Do you still stay in touch with your first penpal? Tell us about your first penpal even if you have lost touch with them. We might be able to help you locate him/her.
I still stay in touch with my first real pen pal. As in, the first person I never met but found online. I have been buddies with her for almost two years now. Her name is Winslow and she is one of the coolest people I've ever had the chance to communicate with. We exchange little gifts with our letters which can be written on anything from handmade paper to index cards to Alice in Wonderland stationery to strips of paper to little journals. We have this ongoing recommendation list where we put down our favorite movies, music, and books. We're both huge indie fans, so any music and movies we find tend to be obscure or of the indie variety. I love Winslow dearly and I would love to meet her someday and just go on an epic road trip across the country, living in a tent at night and just having a blast.

How many Penpals do you have? Where are they from?
I have about 12 pen pals who I still keep in touch with. I know, it sounds like a lot but I can tell who each person is usually just by their handwriting and what their envelope looks like. I used to have over two dozen pen pals but unfortunately most of those people were one-timer pen pals and stopped writing after their first letter. The pen pals I currently have are from all over the USA from places such as California, Georgia, New York, Nevada, and Texas, and I have one from Australia, one from Europe, and two from Canada. Some are about 17 or 18, some in their mid-twenties, others past their forties.

Are you searching for new Penpals? If yes, please give us some contact information that we can publish in the magazine so that people can write to you back.
Yes, I'm searching for new pen pals. See below for my e-mail address.

What are you looking for in a penpal?
Someone who isn't afraid to talk to me about their personal problems, but who is willing to give advice when I talk about mine. I look for equality in a pen pal friendship, and for something unique or different in each person. Sharing something in common with me is nice, but not necessary.

Where do you find new Penpals from? Do you rely on FBs or Facebook or other websites/blogs.
I usually find my pen pals from www.Interpals.net or LiveJournal groups.

Tell us a funny/interesting story from your Penpalling experience?
I was having a rough time dealing with some personal issues once, and my second oldest pen pal who is from Georgia sent me a letter that was made up almost halfway of stickers. She wrote the words she didn't have stickers to represent and used what stickers she did have as the words for me to read. It made me so happy and honored that she had spent so much time finding the right stickers to replace the right words, and I could only imagine how many drafts she went through of the letter before she made the final draft to send to me. It was, hands down, one of the coolest letters I have received to this day. And of course I keep all my letters, but that letter will always have a special place in my heart.

How do you keep track of your mail? Share your tip on how to organize ourselves.
This is my old system as I'm in the process of switching to a new, more efficient system. I have colorful photo boxes I bought on sale from A.C.Moore in which I keep my incoming letters that I've responded to. When I receive a letter, I write the date on an index card that has the person's name written on the top of it. I keep stickers and stamps and deco tapes in a small snap-lid box, my big stationery in a large snap-lid box, and my small stationery or kawaii stationery in photo organizers, sorted by category (fairy tale, Hello Kitty/Sanrio, Disney/cartoon, animals, and miscellaneous). I have a snap-lid box full of envelopes to use, as well. My new system will include the computer, somehow. I'll probably make an Excel sheet and list my pen pals and the dates they've sent me letters. I'll get folders or binders for each person and put their letters inside, as well as note the gifts they give me. I have a binder already which has the name, address, and e-mail address of each pen pal I have, as well as their username from wherever I met them and a profile if they had one up. The names are listed alphabetically so I can just pop in the information of a new pen pal easily.

Do you swap things? Do you like sending gifts to friends? If yes, what is the funniest gift you have ever sent/received?
Yes and yes. The funniest gift I ever sent wasn't necessarily funny, but it was pretty neat. My pen pal Winslow is obsessed with anything Alice in Wonderland. So I made her a pair of Alice in Wonderland earrings out of Scrabble pieces, paint, and pictures. I used the A and W Scrabble pieces, pasted a picture of Alice and a picture of the Cheshire cat on each earring, and sent the pair to her on a queen of hearts mini playing card in an organza bag. Her reaction was pretty funny. She wrote in all capital letters for, like, three lines. It was awesome.

Have you met a penpal? If so, let us know how the meeting went.

I have not yet met a pen pal but I have plans to meet my pen pal Suzanne from Georgia and my pen pal Adam from California.

What do you usually like writing/reading about in the letters?
I love to read about the unique experiences each person has. What makes their day work or what people they meet, or how they've been influenced by certain things. I like to write about unusual things that happen to me sometimes, or ideas for movies and stories, fashion designs, etc.

When it comes to making cute and personal letters, everyone has his/her own style. Tell us your trick how to make a letter/envelope unique? Do you decorate it? If yes, how? Give us some tips on how to make the letters more interesting.
I like to ink stamps I've carved myself and stamp them on the envelopes, or decorate the envelopes with lots of stickers. If carving stamps sounds hard, it's really not too difficult. With the right tools and the right rubber pad, you can make just about anything.

Where do you buy your stationery supplies from? Do you prefer traditional shops or e-shops? If so, give us some links.
I like JanetStore and some shops on Etsy such as Xiwang (http://www.etsy.com/shop/xiwang). I also make my own stationery sometimes. Aside from Target, I rarely find stationery I like in a store. I guess there aren't too many places for stationery in my city.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

1. Hello there! How are you doing? Tell us more about yourself, your hobbies, personal life, interests. Hello I am Kerry Ellis-Ouimette I am 35 yrs. old. I am married to Jason. We married Oct 29th 2005 in a Halloween Themed Costume Party Wedding. We have no kids but want some.

2. If you have to describe yourself in only 5 words what would they be? Crazyfunnygreat listenerhelperloving

3. Tell us something about your town, city or country. I live in Syracuse NY a pretty big city many famous people have lived here gone to college here or were born here

4. How did you start pen palling? When was that? And why did you decide to start Pen palling? I was 17 or 18 when I started pen palling to get to know other nkotb fans around the world

5. What do you like / dislike about Pen palling/correspondence? I dislike when people ask you to be pen pals and never writ

6. How do your friends react when they discover you are into Pen palling? Are they also into it or they give you the “strange” faces? Nope almost all of my friend pen pal also

7. Do you still stay in touch with your first penpal? Tell us about your first penpal even if you have lost touch with them. We might be able to help you locate him/her. Yes I have met two wonderful women Kelly Brocato from Rhode Island and Denise Owen from England. I still email Facebook and twitter them to keep in contact.

8. How many Pen pals do you have? Where are they from? I have 50 from all over the world. USA Canada France Polandchecz republicEngland

9. Are you searching for new Pen pals? If yes, please give us some contact information that we can publish in the magazine so that people can write to you back. Not right now I am not looking for any new pen pals.

10. What are you looking for in a penpal? Someone that has some of my same interests and will write me back.

11. Where do you find new Pen pals from? Do you rely on FBs or Facebook or other websites/blogs? When I look for new pals I make F.B.’s or f.s. or o I write an ad on a pen pal site.

12. Tell us a funny/interesting story from your Pen palling experience? I had 5 bad experiences from Africa where I was asked by pen pals to sell their wares or send them money and when I said no they said mean things about me and told people not to write to me.

13. How do you keep track of your mail? Share your tip on how to organize ourselves.

14. Do you swap things? Do you like sending gifts to friends? If yes, what is the funniest gift you have ever sent/received? I love to swap stickers stationary and postcards. I even made a page on my website called Kerry’s Trading Post.

15. Have you met a penpal? If so, let us know how the meeting went. I have met two of my past pen pals and we have stopped being pals back in 1996.

16. What do you usually like writing/reading about in the letters? I type out my pen pal letters with cute pictures because my handwriting it horrible.

17. When it comes to making cute and personal letters, everyone has his/her own style. Tell us your trick how to make a letter/envelope unique? Do you decorate it? If yes, how. Give us some tips on how to make the letters more interesting. I find pix on the internet I like and place them at the top of my letters and then write my name and address so no one can ever say they don’t know my address.

18. Where do you buy your stationery supplies from? Do you prefer traditional shops or e-shops? If so, give us some links. I don’t always buy it I make my own or swap what I have. I buy my stuff from THE DOLLAR TREE or WALMART. Please check out K & B Accessories~http://members.tripod.com/my_place_2/id40.html

Friday, July 22, 2011

PuchiMo, the stationery shop that we featured in our current and previous issues of SandbookNet PenPals and Swappers Magazine, has a new blog. You can read the PuchiMo newson the blog. Don't forget to check out thePuchiMo Etsy Shop!

Hello there! How are you doing? Tell us more about yourself, your hobbies, personal life, interests.

Hi!! My name is Wyn, I'm a 58 year old female, looking for pals 40 and above. Live in Central Florida. My hobbies are my pals, chatting on the computer, traveling, reading, latch hook rugs, walks on the beach. My collections are snowmen, lighthouses, tea pots, stickers and stationery. My family is my life. I have 2 daughters and 1 grand daughter who is the love of our lives. My pals are my family as well. I cherish each and every one of them.

If you have to describe yourself in only 5 words what would they be?

Funny, faithful, loves life, not a back stabber, always there for a friend or family. Hmm that's more than 5 words!!!

Tell us something about your town, city or country.

Palm Bay Florida is located in Central Florida on the Space Coast, we are south of the Space Center and East of Disney. I think Palm Bay is the largest area growing in Florida right now. We first moved here 27 years ago, the changes and growth are unreal!

How did you start penpalling? When was that? And why did you decide to start Penpalling?

I started pen palling when I was in 5th grade. I love to write and found an article in a teen magazine about palling. I have never regretted it at all!!!

What do you like / dislike about Penpalling/correspondence?

I love the friendship, laughter with people. Love to meet my pals, only had one bad experience.

How do your friends react when they discover you are into Penpalling? Are they also into it or they give you the “strange” faces?

A lot of people give you the strange face, but when you tell them about it they go, wow that does seem very interesting!

Do you still stay in touch with your first penpal? Tell us about your first penpal even if you have lost touch with them. We might be able to help you locate him/her.

I do hear from my first pen pal, she and I just talk on the phone once in awhile. She lives down in Fort Lauderdale. We started writing when we were in 5th grade. She is going thru a hard time so I'm a very good listener.

How many Penpals do you have? Where are they from?

I have about 30 or so pals, they are from all over the US, Alaska, Ireland, UK.

Are you searching for new Penpals? If yes, please give us some contact information that we can publish in the magazine so that people can write to you back.

Yes I am looking for pals!! I'm looking for anyone over 40 and will write to all who live in US, UK, Ireland, Germany, France, I only know English. You can e mail me at snowb53(at)aol.com NO INMATES!!!

What are you looking for in a penpal?

Friendship, laughter, and just enjoy letters from each other.

Where do you find new Penpals from? Do you rely on FBs or Facebook or other websites/blogs.

I get most of my pals from other pals, I don't sign or do FB's anymore, I find when I do that I hear from Inmates.

Tell us a funny/interesting story from your Penpalling experience?

I was writing to a pal and the pal had a male or female name and I didn't know until months later, for some reason I thought that was funny!!!

How do you keep track of your mail? Share your tip on how to organize ourselves.

I keep all my letters together and write down the day I receive it. That's how organized I am!! HA!

Do you swap things? Do you like sending gifts to friends? If yes, what is the funniest gift you have ever sent/received?

No I don't.

Have you met a penpal? If so, let us know how the meeting went.

I have met several pals and all went great except for one. She was crazy literally and I didn't realize it until it was too late. Luckily she lived only 20 min from me so I left quickly!

What do you usually like writing/reading about in the letters?

Everyday life makes you realize that you may not be the only one with something going on.

When it comes to making cute and personal letters, everyone has his/her own style. Tell us your trick how to make a letter/envelope unique? Do you decorate it? If yes, how. Give us some tips on how to make the letters more interesting.

I use stampers or stickers. Try to make it cute!

Where do you buy your stationery supplies from? Do you prefer traditional shops or e-shops? If so, give us some links.

I get most of my stationary from Image Shop On Line, staples, Fed Ex/Kinko's and now the dollar store has great stationary!!!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

As you know, the PenPal of the Month Contest has new rules. The winners are selected via a vote button on our website. Because of the change in the rules we are now announcing the winners of the PenPal of the Month Contest June 2011 - Julie and Salome!!! Congratulations!

Julie Priest, England nominates Salome Biver, France:

"I have been penpals with Salome for a couple of years, since this time our friendship has grown, and although Salome is many miles away I feel like I have made a true friend. Salome is a very special young woman who, like myself, loves stationery, cute writing sets and stickers, and she spends her time decorating her letters, which I must say always look lovely. I wish that Salome would believe in herself more as she is a lovely, honest and loyal person. I’m sure that one-day she’ll come to realize this. Salome is a fantastic penpal and that’s why I nominate her."

TOTAL VOTES: 223!!! Congratulations, girls! You are our PenPal of the Month June 2011 WINNERS! Emails informing you of the next steps to get your awards have been sent.

Here are the other nominations and the votes that they have received!

Heidi Rundle, Great Britain nominates Barbara Nemecek, Austria:

"iv been pen palling with babsy for about 4 months now, babsy found me on interpals and i say she is the best thing (person) that came out of it :)i was just losing faith in interpals than along came babsy :) she messaged me and i new instantly we would click :)and boy do we click :) we have exchanged so many letters in the last few months i feel we have an amazing bond we are soul sisters we say she may live miles away but she is in my soul night and day so is her gorgeous daughter kim :)a nice story about our friendship would be babsy mentioned kim asking why she doesnt get mail so i decided to send kim a postcard :) few days later it got to her and it was a great suprise im told i even had a beautifull picture drawn by kim for me :) now everytime kim and babsy go to the mail she asks mummy has heidi sent me something :) isnt it cute :), why should babsy be member of the month well she is incredibe friend and sister also an incredible mum and she needs a pick me up as shes been going through a tough time this month so motm would be amazing,also shes an incredibel person and friend and am so so excited shes coming to visit me in august for a holiday,also babsy is one very loyal friend,shes caring,loving loyal and true to herself and to her friends shes always there for you when you need her just what you need in a pal id say no ones perfect but i think were babsys concerbend am biased."

TOTAL VOTES: 99

Lora Gibb, United Kingdom nominates Kerrie Foulsham, United Kingdom:

"Kerrie is almost 6 months pregnant ,mum of 4 and an absolute treasure . She still makes time for her 52 ( a few more now I think ) penpals and always writes gorgeous , kind hearted letters that make me LOL . She's recently had tummy pains and been in a lot of pain due to this but she still makes time to write beautiful letters on lush paper decorated with beautiful stickers & deco tapes . I saw her talking about Label Bags on Facebook and I was intrigued ,when I received her letter the other day she had popped in some label bags for me to look at and understand ! She's amazing ! So understanding & patient , and we've got so much in common ! We've got 8 ( plus one ) kiddies between us so we've lots to talk about ! I truly think she's brilliant and this and all above is why I think she's got to be Penpal of the Month .Winning would cheer her up immensely && the prize would suite her down to a tee ... she's obsessed with cute stationary , and now that's she's had to limit herself to buying any more due to saving for baby , I think winning would be the cherry on the cake :) Thank you for reading and letting me enter Kerry . :) X"

TOTAL VOTES: 36

Andy Hoang, United Kingdom nominates Mim, USA:

"I met Mim through the mailart and postal networks after opening my blog at www.myrealwall.com Mim started writing regularly and I wrote back, but it was when we started chatting about mailart that we really hit it off. Both of us make and send mailart, but additionally both of us also teach classes about sending mailart and we found we had so much in common. This year, when I got married, Mim came over with her husband and attended our wedding - we were so excited! She brought gifts of rubber stamps and postcards and we had a blast! Mim then went on to visit a number of other mailartists across Europe and made mailart with each one. Not bad for a 71 year old huh! She was exactly as I imagined her, but with even more energy than I could ever have dreamt of! Next year we hope to go and return the visit, by going to see her in the USA. In the meantime, we are both arranging mailart shows and talks on our respective sides of the Atlantic and really keep each other going!"

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

1. Hello there! How are you doing? Tell us more about yourself, your hobbies, personal life, interests.
Hi! I'm doing well. It's the weekend so it's time to chill out! My name's Rachael, Rach or Rae for short and I hail from a small town in the heart of England. You asked me to describe myself, so here it goes...

By day, I'm a kick ass events manager. By night, when I'm not saving the world, I'm an author, photographer and documentary film-maker. Sorry! It's me again! I promise I won't take up too much of your time!

I share my life with my wonderful family and our crazy, loveable extended family. Oh, and the neighbours cat. Obviously the grass is greener on our side of the hedge...

2. If you have to describe yourself in only 5 words what would they be?

Doesn't play by the rules!

3. Tell us something about your town, city or country.

The town I live in used to be the heart of the textile industry. Interestingly enough, my surname (different to the one I use online before anyone makes a noise about it!) is associated with French artisans, in particular textile workers. So winding up living in a town associated with clothes and textiles is an interesting addition to our history. I've lived all over England but I always wind up coming back to the Midlands and my family. Home is where the heart is!

4. How did you start penpalling? When was that? And why did you decide to start Penpalling?

I started penpalling around 1998. Because I've moved around a lot, I used to keep in touch with old friends. When they fell away I missed it. One day I was searching an online bulletin board and came across someone looking for penpals. I replied to her and, over 10 years later, we're still in touch. For me, I like the personal side of it. As many people say, there is nothing better than getting a letter rather than a bill through the post.

5. What do you like / dislike about Penpalling/correspondence?

I love everything about penpalling! From the stationery and stamps, to becoming family with people across the globe. There is a great sense of community among people who are into letter writing and it's what prompted me to make the film.

Dislike - I think it would be returning full FB's. I've lost count of the amount that have been returned to me because the addressee no longer lives at that address. Please, if you're into FB's (or label bags, decos, slams, crams whatever!), include an email address so we can check your address! It would be much appreciated and save a lot of hassle and money.

6. How do your friends react when they discover you are into Penpalling? Are they also into it or they give you the “strange” faces?

I've converted some of my friends over to penpalling! In truth, I rarely tell anyone. It's not one of those things which really comes up in conversation. Only if a similar topic comes up do I mention it. And all the friends who know are very supportive. They know that I'm a creative person and penpalling is just another extension of the crazy things I like to do! One of my closest friends, even though he would never write a letter, always picks me up nice stationery and pens when he sees them. Yes, when HE sees them! It shocks me as well!

7. Do you still stay in touch with your first penpal? Tell us about your first penpal even if you have lost touch with them. We might be able to help you locate him/her.

As I mentioned above, yes, I'm still in touch with my first penpal.

8. How many Penpals do you have? Where are they from?

I probably have about 15 penpals. I like to only have a small number so that our correspondence becomes very personal. I'm not a big fan of short letters because, for me, penpalling is learning not only about other places, but also about making deep and lasting relationships. Obviously this doesn't work with every person you write to, neither is it everyone else's opinion.

9. Are you searching for new Penpals? If yes, please give us some contact information that we can publish in the magazine so that people can write to you back.

I might be... Why, are you asking?!

10. What are you looking for in a penpal?

Someone I can relate to. Will we click? Do they have a good sense of humour? Can we relate to each other in any way, even just a small way? From small acorns grow huge oaks!

11. Where do you find new Penpals from? Do you rely on FBs or Facebook or other websites/blogs.

Mainly from penpal websites like Sandbook.

12. Tell us a funny/interesting story from your Penpalling experience?

This was a recent one. Someone emailed me and I got a bit of a strange feeling from them. But I'll give anyone a chance and told them that I'd prefer if we emailed back and forth for a couple of weeks before starting to exchange letters. Anyway, in their second email they gave me their postal address. In the third one they demanded to know why I was taking so long to reply to emails (I'd explained that, like them, I had a day job and wasn't permanently attached to my computer). I thought it would be nice to write letters and visit them as they didn't live far from my sister so I could spend my time with two lots of people. Then, in their forth email, which came two days after their first email to me, they demanded to know why I hadn't sent them a letter yet! My gut instinct had been confirmed and that email address has since been spammed. What made me laugh is they mentioned that their last penpal had mysteriously stopped writing. I wonder why...?!

13. How do you keep track of your mail? Share your tip on how to organize ourselves.

Haha I'm actually quite disorganised! My mail sits on top of my printer. I stack it in the order it's received and reply to them in that way. All my stationery is stacked on a shelf to the left of me and all my pens are in a mug in front of me. Let's put it this way - the hard drives with my footage and photos on are more organised than my letter writing! Although I do hope that my disorganisation shows through in my letters. In a good way of course!

14. Do you swap things? Do you like sending gifts to friends? If yes, what is the funniest gift you have ever sent/received?

Of course! It's always fun to send things! I swap FB's, decos and goodie bags. As for gifts, I send whatever takes my fancy. The funniest gift I've ever received was a blow up guitar. It goes with me when I go to concerts!

15. Have you met a penpal? If so, let us know how the meeting went.

Oh yes! She has become a sister to me and her, and her family, have been there for me through the good and the bad. We're never off the phone to each other and now I'm making plans to move closer to her, even though I only live an hour away now! I'm looking forward to the day I can call her up and we can go out without having to spend weeks arranging it. That will be a great day!

But all of my penpals are family to me. I'm so blessed to have wonderful and supportive pen-friends. I hope that I appropriately reciprocate the love they give me.

16. What do you usually like writing/reading about in the letters?

I like my letters to be like a normal conversation, so anything and anything. I try not to follow a format, so to speak. Just put the pen to the paper and see what comes out.

17. When it comes to making cute and personal letters, everyone has his/her own style. Tell us your trick how to make a letter/envelope unique? Do you decorate it? If yes, how. Give us some tips on how to make the letters more interesting.

To me, it's not about what the letter's written on. However, I like mine to look nice. It's always better if it turns up in something other than a white or brown envelope. Whenever I see white envelopes, I think of bills and credit card statements! So I buy coloured envelopes and I always try and get interesting ones. The most recent ones have roses embossed into the paper. And I'm a real sucker for nice paper. Again, it's that personal touch of being able to pick something nice that your friend will appreciate. Whenever I'm shopping, I'm always looking for cards and bits and pieces that my friends will like. But if it's a great letter it could be written on toilet roll for all I care!

18. Where do you buy your stationery supplies from? Do you prefer traditional shops or e-shops? If so, give us some links.

I buy all of mine online, mainly from ebay and Janet Store ( www.janetstore.com ). However, if I see something I like when I'm out and about, then I'll pick it up.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Are you familiar with the cute and absolutely gorgeous designs from Letter Parade? If you haven't heard about them, now is your chance to discover them with their Interview on the pages of our magazine! Cindy, the owner of Letter Parade, give us an all exclusive interview. Moreover, Cindy and Letter Parade give all Sandbook Readers a discount coupon to use in at Letter Parade Etsy Shop. Learn more about the coupon on the pages of our magazine or the official Letter Parade Blog.

And here are some photos taken from the July 2011 issue of our free penpal magazine:

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Have you written to a penpal, whose in prison? That is something that is not for everyone. Our author Rach Gee discusses her penpalling experience with inmates and gives some interesting prospective to all that are thinking about writing to inmates.

The article "Letters from Behind Bars" is from July 2011, issue 9 of our penpal magazine. Be read this article and all others in the issue, please click here for free download.

The Team of House of Hearts is making this amazing giveaway. You can win this great camera:

All you have to do is check out their blog for more detailed information, follow and pass on the word about the giveaway! :D) But be sure to enter NOW, as the deadline for participation is midnight Monday, July 25th! For more information: The House of Hearts Blog. Participate now!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

SandbookNet's bright new author Rachel Brazeale, who is running LillyPadgrafics Blog is sharing her penpal experience with all of us. Be sure to check her story on the pages of issue 9, July 2011 magazine, which you can download for free from our website.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Sandbook PenPal Magazine July 2011 is here! You can download it from the official SandbookNet Website! The issue includes articles, giveaways and contests, PenPal Interviews, PenPal of the Month June 2011 Vote, cultural events and more! Hope you will enjoy it!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

How is the weekend treating you? I hope you enjoy the weekend the best way you can. For us at Sandbook Central, this weekend is surely a very busy one as we are working on preparing the latest issue of our penpal magazine - July 2011. We are optimistic that we are going to be able to release the magazine on Monday, July 11, 2011, 12.00 CET (Central European Time). Until then I will just give you a sneak peek of some of the stories in the new issue.

Write Around the WorldPenPal: How You TalkLetter from Behind BarsLetter Parade New PenPal Interviews!!!Canada and 4th of July DayLammas Celebrations ADHD (Mom's Section)Kid's SectionsSamantha's Thoughts July Birthday Twins

The issue would be revealed on July 11, 2011!
Until then!Raia from the SandbookNet Team